This invention concerns the loading of certain automatic pistol cartridge magazines and discloses an apparatus for gripping the protruding knob, on the cartridge follower in such magazines, in order to depress and hold down the follower against the upward urging of an internal magazine spring to facilitate the insertion of cartridges into the magazine.
Cartridge magazines, which fit into the handles of certain automatic pistols, particularly .22 caliber automatic pistols, are partially flattened tubes open at the upper end to receive cartridges. The inner volume dimensions of such a magazine are just sufficient to allow the insertion and parallel stacking of a single layer of cartridges. The first cartridge inserted into the open end of the magazine, under two partially inward directed magazine lips or flanges, rests upon the upper edge of a slidable flat metal plate called a cartridge follower. The follower is urged or pushed upward, inside the magazine, against the cartridge by a strong, usually helical, spring contained in the closed bottom end of the magazine below the bottom edge of the follower. The other cartridges are loaded into the magazine through this opening also. The spring, pushing upwards against the follower, causes the follower to feed the loaded cartridges, one after another, into alignment with the barrel of the pistol as the cartridges are being fired and the shells ejected. However, this upward spring pressure makes it difficult to insert the cartridges by hand into the magazine during the loading operation. A short knob, the follower knob, attached to the follower, protrudes a short distance outward through an open slit running along the magazine wall. Pushing or pulling down on this follower knob, with one""s thumb or fingers, forces the follower downward, away from the open end of the magazine, depressing the spring which facilitates the insertion of the cartridges. However, since this knob is very short, it is hard and even painful to push down on it with one""s fingers. This has led to the introduction of various mechanical accessories and devices, to grip the follower knob, in order to ease the depression of the follower and facilitate the insertion of the cartridges into the magazine.
This invention discloses a cartridge magazine follower grip, that can be detachably connected to the follower knob, in order to facilitate the depression of the follower against the upward directed spring force, which is practical, simple, easy to use and inexpensive to manufacture.
This follower depressor grip comprises a small solid block, slightly larger than a man""s thumb, with essentially rectangular faces. Attached to this block, near or at one end by a plug, is a loop of thin, strong wire about two to three inches in length, the length determined by the magazine involved. The block is also slotted or indented, also depending upon the particular type of magazine involved, in order to fit over a protruding base edge or across the base of the magazine. When loading the magazine, the wire loop is hooked around the follower knob, and the loader then pulls the follower downward towards the base of the magazine, via the follower grip attached to the knob, depressing the spring. The block itself is then attached to the base of the magazine by either fitting the slot over the protruding base edge or by fitting the indentation across the base of the magazine. The tension that the spring exerts, via the follower and knob through the wire loop, holds the block fixed in place and the spring depressed while the cartridges are easily inserted into the open end of the magazine. When the loading is complete, the block is detached from the base and the wire loop is unhooked from the follower knob. The cartridges are prevented from being ejected from the magazine by the inwardly bent flanges at the open end of the magazine. The magazine can now be inserted into the pistol which is ready for firing. It is thus an object of this invention to facilitate the loading of cartridges into certain automatic pistol magazines, particularly those in .22 caliber pistols, by providing a device to grip the magazine follower knob, in order to pull down the magazine follower, depressing the spring, thus creating a free space at the open magazine end, in order to allow the easy insertion of cartridges into the magazine.
It is a further object of this invention to provide a means to facilitate the loading of cartridges into an automatic pistol magazine which is practical, easy to use, reliable, portable and inexpensive to manufacture.
These and other objects will be apparent to those skilled in the art.